...And he will thankfully in literature but not this cinematic garbage. The Medieval poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is a wonderfully layered poem about old and new, good and evil, pure and tainted. This movie basically rips all the subtext from that work and throws it away so it can add nonsense like the Green Knight turning a sorceress into a red frog. Some mythological land where a woman wants Gawain for his body. Then there is the sub-story about some renegade marauders fighting for an evil baron who take in men just from anywhere to fight in their army. None of this makes much sense. The whole Arthur storyline was excised as well. Forget Gawain being a paragon of virtue and chastity. Here we get pretty boy-look-a-lot-like-a-lady Miles O'Keefe - who as another reviewer noted - creeps me out too! Sean Connery looks ridiculous as the Green Knight spouting out drivel. The whole end of the poem as well as the mid-section are totally changed. In the poem the Green Knight has three whacks at Gawain for Gawain had unwittingly stayed at his castle and received three kisses from the lord, Sir Bertilak's wife. He praises Gawain for his purity and righteousness. Here we get some lame ending about the seasons. We also get a fat monk who steals, a Sancho Panza-like Humphreys, and a host of characters not ever imagined in the poem. Director Stephen Weeks did this as his last film. That says sooo much right there. The acting is dreadful with O'Keefe looking like Fabio at every turn. Poor Sean Connery. I felt bad for Ronald Lacey(always good at playing bad guys like the Nazi leader in Raiders of the Lost Ark)and Trevor Howard just as the King - though for what reason I am unable to fathom was not called King Arthur like he was in the poem. Was it copyrighted by an anonymous poet from the 14th century? The gal who plays the love interest is beautiful but always covered. Alas! Woe is me! Then there is Peter Cushing - an actor for whom I have an incredibly soft spot for in my heart of hearts. This was either his second or third to last film. He is in his early 70s and as always good. Shame this had to be one of his last projects. He did do the film as a favor no doubt for Weeks as he directed Cushing in I , Monster - Weeks's best film to be sure. And the final insult to injury is the over-the-top, totally misplaced musical score. It resonates loudly throughout without any other effect than an incredible annoyance. The film is also cheap-looking in that 80s cheap movie way. Despite what might have been a very good cast, this film - in a word - reeks!
Review of Sword of the Valiant
